The Man in the Window
by MrFraggleSpock
Summary: When Elsa was young, she had an imaginary friend. Then, as all girls do, she grew up, and forgot about her man in the window. She never expected him to come back for her...and she certainly never expected to fall in love with him.


Elsa remembered. She had been sitting in her room, huddled against the wall in tears. She looked down at her hands, glistening under a fine sheen of frost, tears of anger welling in her eyes. She had hurt her sister, and she could never forgive herself. Curled up in a ball, alone with all those angry thoughts, she kept asking: Why? Why was she cursed to hurt everything she cared about?

Then the window blew open. She looked up quizzically, face still red from crying, as the wintry breeze caressed the back of her neck. The window was wide open. She shuffled up to it. Gazing up, she saw a huge silver moon in the sky; as she watched, she flinched as something tiny and cold landed pristinely on her nose.

"Snow?" she mused aloud, frowning. More and more of the tiny snowflakes floated quietly into her room.

Then she found herself backing away as an exultant voice cried out: "WHOOHOO!" something shot past her senses so quickly she barely registered its shape. There was almighty crash as the shape of a tall, skinny boy crashed headlong into her dresser, reducing it to splinters.

Landing on his backside, he looked apologetically up at her: "Whew!" he grinned breathlessly at her "Sorry—need to work on my landings…"

Elsa edged toward him. "Who…who are you?" she asked timidly, with a bemused frown on her face. He had brilliant white hair and blue eyes, and wore a sweater and trouser doused in frost. In her short life, he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Leaping to his feet, the boy gave her a theatrical bow "Jack Frost, milady, at your service!" he said giddily.

She smiled in disbelief "Jack Frost…?" she laughed doubtfully "There's no such thing!"

"And yet here I am." He smiled at her.

"But why?" she asked incredulously, her jaw dropping with the immense realisation. "Why _are _you here?"

Jack leaned nonchalantly against his long, hooked wooden staff with an air of carefree playfulness "Some friends of mine told me a little girl needed a friend…" He reached out a milky white hand.

It was at that point he was swayed clumsily and the staff toppled under his weight, landing him flat on his face. Elsa stifled a guilty giggle into her hand. "So what do you say?!" he finished, springing to his feet again, unimpeded "Do you want to have some fun?"

Elsa shifted uncomfortably and looked at her feet "I can't…I have powers. I'll hurt someone!" She looked distraught.

Jack crouched down to her level and put a hand consolingly on her shoulder "I know," he whispered "And I _promise_, I will not let _anything _bad happen."

His smile was so full of warmth and light she couldn't help but smile back. "Okay," she replied brightly.

She remembered him leading her through the labyrinthine corridors of the castle, skidding on a slipstream of ice, giggling wildly the whole time. She remembered skidding on her belly into the enormous echoing ball room, writhing with laughter.

"Watch this," Jack whispered conspiratorially, a mischievous glint in his eye. Suddenly, he banged his staff on the ground with a resounding thump. The whole floor was awash with blue light, and when it cleared away, the room was frosted. A flurry of snow swirled around them, nestling in Elsa's hair like diamonds.

"Well, kiddo?" Jack spun on his heels playfully "I _challenge _you to top that…"

Hearing the words, Elsa rose to her feet with a determined smile. She flourished her hands and a cascade of swirling blue fractals spun in air, forming into huge banks of snow that filled the room.

"That's pretty good…" he admitted cockily, with a shrug of his shoulders, before looking triumphant "But can you do _this_?" he asked smugly. Seconds later, she scooped up a fistful of the frost covering the door.

With one elegant sweep of his hands, the frost formed itself into shape: a bunny. The small, luminous creature pranced in the air around them, leaving a trail of iridescent light in its wake. Elsa marvelled at it, eyes wide with awe.

"More! More!" Elsa demanded, shaking giddily.

"Alright," Jack stifled a chuckle at her excitement "Let's try—"

It was then that he saw the lights in the sky. The Northern Lights. He looked sullen and glanced at his staff.

"What's wrong?" Elsa inquired, sensing his discomfort. The bunny flitted in the air and swirled into nothingness.

"I'm needed elsewhere…" he struggled to find the words. Then he turned to her and crouched once again to put a hand on her shoulder.

"But you'll be back…?" Elsa sniffled, on the verge of tears.

She felt Jack brush a falling tear off her cheek tenderly "Off course I will!" he insisted, as if horrified at the suggestion of anything else "I'll always be here for you…"

She remembered watching him fly out the ballroom window, sweeping through the air, silhouetted by the moon. He was like an angel. She grinned in wonder.

It was then that the huge doors to the ballroom crashed open and light spilled into the room. She saw her parents coming towards her.

"Elsa?" Her father sounded mildly surprised, then his expression turned to one of rage "What's going on here?" he demanded indignantly, stomping up to her. She found herself cowering in guilt and fear "Don't you remember last time?!"

"I'm sorry Papa…" she said hoarsely, bowing her head "But Jack Frost—"

He cut her off: "Jack Frost?" her parents exchanged withering glances.

Her mother reached out a hand "Come on, sweetheart. You're obviously tired. Let's go to bed and forget this ever happened, okay?" the woman smiled.

"Okay…" Elsa replied meekly as she edged forward to take the hand. And yet, as her parents shepherded her away, she turned to the frosted up window and allowed herself a tiny smile

_I'll see you again, Jack_.

It was a long, long time before she did.


End file.
